I'm thinking about buying some really nice kitchen knives. Those Global knives (pictured below) seem to be popular, and look really neato.
Are they worth the price? Are their others in the same price range (or lower) that are just as good or better?

The best knife is the one you'll use the most and most comfortably. It can be a $400 Glestain knife or a $20 Kitchenaid from Target. If it feels good then get it. Full tang, drop forged, surgical stainless steel etc is fine and dandy but not an absolute. BTW surgical stainless steel is like Corinthian leather, no such thing. Full tang usually means a better balanced knife, but sometimes cheap ones can be just as comfortable.

Like I said in the other thread, Globals are awesome but a bit light for me. A hefty knife will eliminate some of the fatigue when you're cutting. But it weighs more so if you're a little girl that would cancel out any of those benefits.

I use a big ol' Wusthof 10"er. I like the size and balance of it and it's bulky enough to take a little abuse that I feel would probably hurt a Global. I'd never consider going through anything but a chicken bone with the Global but I've hacked quite a bit of stuff with my Wusthof. Of course you need a cleaver for big jobs anyway.

Buy what works for you, brands are less important a factor. Within reason of course, no Ginsus you fuck.

Well that would be a $3 garage sale knife. Never ever ever never ever put your knife in the dishwasher. It will most likely crack whatever the handle is made out of. Then little bits of food and bacterial will invade those cracks and eat away your knife from the inside and maybe make you sick. All it needs is a quick wipeoff or a runthrough under the tap and a wipeoff. Then it goes into a knife block or some other storage device but NOT just into a drawer where it will bang up against things and bend the edge all to shit.

Also, when you get the knife get a steel and learn how it's used. This will keep your edge well honed and your knife will thank you for it.

I just checked eBay, and there are several Wusthof 10-Piece Knifew Set w/ Blocks with Buy It Now prices of $99.00.
Is it safe for me to assume that these "Silverpoints" are cheap shit that isn't worth a damn? Wusthof seems to have several lines.

Dishwashers:
dishwashers and a good set of knives do not mix.
the heat from the dishwasher cycle will ruin the knife over time.
additionally.. sharpening at home isn't a big deal as long as you do it properly.. but still.. be prepared to buy a replacement knife every 10 years ha.
a good set of knives makes a great difference in the kitchen.. but be careful or you will end up with a zillion scars on the tips of your fingers (like me).

Not a big fan of sets myself. For the price of a set you can get a great chef's knife, a great boning knife, and a good slicer/utility knife, and good shears. Then you can skimp out and get cheapass steak knives and paring knives. Honestly other than my big knife and the paring knife and shears I don't even touch anything else. Well, the bread knife but shit, you can get those anywhere.

For $400 though a good set is well within that range. Maybe not Global but Forschner or Sabatier maybe. Costco has a fairly nice Henkels set. Cuisanart actually has good ones too if you can belive it.

If you can invest the time and effort though mix and match is the best way. That way you don't waste money on a great knife that never gets used.

I bought a block set from Macy's for $99 for my Mom and they were crap. They were made in China and were light and cheap feeling. I believe they were Henckels. I ended up buying the block set from Costco and my Mom loves them. They were much better quality and made in Spain.

LOL @ treating a knife like a fine piece of china. It's a fucking knife. It cuts meat.

An improperly treated knife is a dangerous knife.

Globals are one piece with little bumps for grip. That's actually one complaint I've heard about them, is that they tend to get slippery when wet. They may be okay for the dishwasher though, I don't know. Still it's easier to just wipe it off anyway.

Interesting. I've been thinking this way a little bit already. I've been hoping to avoid a set that included steak knives. We don't use the ones in the cheap block we have now. We use our big-ass Outback style.
I too see 2-3 knives in my set that I actually use.
I've been hoping to find a small set that was fewer knives and higher dollars, as opposed to a mega 500 knive set.

I have added to my set over the course of a few years. It started with that Wusthof that I found for $20 at a flea market. I think it was hot but who cares, it was fucking cheap so I nabbed it. Then I found a nice Sabatier at a garage sale for a dollar! That's now the wife's. I got a good Chinese cleaver for not a lot.

If I was spending that money on knives like that here's what I would do. I'd go to a place like Sur La Table or somewhere with a large selection. Then I'd sample every chef's knife. I know I like big heavy knives but if you aren't sure try all the sizes. Not just for feel in the hand, but I'd actually use it. I picked Sur La Table because every one I've been in has a butcher block right by the knives. You can actually use it in a real sense, miming chopping and slicing and whatnot. Then I'd leave because Sur La Table is fucking expensive and find that knife elsewhere.

Then I'd get a steel if I didn't already have one. I have an old butcher shop one that is about 2 feet long that I got for 50 cents at an estate sale (score!). Also, knife blocks are okay as far as protecting the knife but I'm not a fan of them because there's a chance they could harbor some icky bits if your knife isn't pristine going into it. I have a magnetic rail I stick them to but if you have kids or a raccoon or something that may not be the best choice.

After I had my chef's knife I'd use it for a while and think "What am I doing with this that another knife would be better at?" A small paring knife would be an obvious choice but I abuse the shit out of those so I actually get those shitty free handouts from knife demonstrations. Maybe you cook the big Thanksgiving turkey and want a good slicer for those Norman Rockwell slabs of breast. Then you'd pick one up. Rinse repeat.

My guess is you'd get all the quality knives you'd need for less than 200 bucks.

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